Coronavirus - Health aspects

[REWahoo]

Stocked up on nonperishables and toiletries today as a precaution.

Discussed the evolving situation with DW and she agreed we should visit Costco tomorrow and do the same. Not buying anything we don't normally consume, just providing us the option to limit our mingling with the public should we desire to do so at some point in the future.

 

[Fermion]

Discussed the evolving situation with DW and she agreed we should visit Costco tomorrow and do the same. Not buying anything we don't normally consume, just providing us the option to limit our mingling with the public should we desire to do so at some point in the future.

See I did this today and my wife kind of made fun of me. She also shhh'd me when I said anything about the corona virus in the grocery store, even in the beer aisle!

The joke will be on her when we are on lockdown and I am sitting on my pile of 128 rolls of double ply Charmin.

 

[NW-Bound]

You've got to hide the Charmin, and have her beg for it when the time comes.

 

[KB]

The CA Corona case is in the county next to where I live. My local news reported it in Solano County. So I am paying particular attention.

I am very well stocked up, that is my standard. But I did add another bag of dog food today after it was mentioned in this thread.

 

[brewer12345]

You've got to hide the Charmin, and have her beg for it when the time comes.

I have toyed with the idea of stacking TP floor to ceiling in my 16 foot trailer. A secret trove of white gold!

 

[zinger1457]

456 cases? Where did you get that number?

That number is close to the total number of people who have been tested for the virus in the US. There is concern from some that testing for the virus in the US has been inadequate so far, one has to have a fever to even get approved for the test.

https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-coronovirus-test.html

As the new coronavirus continues to infect people around the world, the rush to test for the virus has taken on a new urgency. But the United States is lagging on that front, in part due to faulty test kits and strict regulations, experts told Live Science.
"We're not remotely prepared," Dr. Alex Greninger, an assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and an assistant director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the University of Washington Medical Center, told Live Science.
In early February, the CDC sent testing kits to labs across the U.S., but a glitch in the kits made them unusable. Now, more than a month later, just five state health departments — in California, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada and Tennessee — as well as the CDC, have the ability to test for the virus, known as SARS-CoV-2.
These strict protocols may explain, in part, why as of Feb. 26, just 445 people have been tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the U.S., not including travelers who have returned on evacuation flights, such as those from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. In contrast, as of Feb. 25, South Korea has tested more than 35,000 people for the virus, The Washington Post reported.

 

[explanade]

COVID-19 Vaccine Shipped, and Drug Trials Start

https://time.com/5790545/first-covid-19-vaccine/

April? Why not earlier? It involves more than just lining up some test monkeys, apparently.

I read the every vaccine for corona viruses have failed at clinical trials.

There is no vaccine for SARS, which had an outbreak almost 20 years ago.

 

[NW-Bound]

And none for HIV either, after all these years. Oh well. Back to thinking about what items to stock.

The problem is you cannot stock supplies for indefinite periods. So, what are we trying to do here? How long do you plan to stock for?

The lockdown in Wuhan is ongoing for 4 weeks. Chinese people are more obedient than American people. Will Americans stay indoors for 4 weeks?

 

[Fermion]

I am stocking for the lockdown. I figure they will try and contain an outbreak in the USA by forcing or asking people to avoid going out. After a few weeks of this, maybe it gets better or maybe there is a bit of rioting and looting.

At any rate, I would rather not *have* to go to the store and touch stuff during a big outbreak...I would rather stay inside, watch netflix, eat my thawed steaks while sitting near my 128 rolls of Charmin, all while knowing I can breathe and my lungs don't look like they have ground glass in them.

 

[brewer12345]

I have DW, two kids and 3 dogs to look after plus I can almost guarantee my sister ignored my suggestions to stock up for her family. I want to be stocked up such that if things get janky for an extended period I can muddle through. Extended period might be months. Ordered my garden seeds early this year so that if I am dependent on what I can grow for veggies it won't be a problem. Probably ought to go get a few sheets of plywood so I can cover the ground floor windows and door in case of bad stuff going down, but I suppose if it gets to that point I will have to worry about the house getting burned down.

 

[REWahoo]

This BBC report isn't good news:

Japanese woman tests positive for coronavirus again

A Japanese woman who was treated for coronavirus and then recovered has now tested positive again, say local media reports quoting government officials.

The woman is reportedly a tour guide in her 40s, from the city of Osaka.

She first tested positive in late January but was discharged from hospital after recovering on 1 February.

She later developed a sore throat and chest pains and then tested positive again.

This is the first case in Japan where a patient has tested positive after being discharged.

However, there have been reports of patients in China testing positive again.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-51655133

 

[gwraigty]

I have toyed with the idea of stacking TP floor to ceiling in my 16 foot trailer. A secret trove of white gold!

Today while on a stock up run, I saw an old woman just finishing loading full size boxes of tissue into the back of her SUV. Puffs, Kleenex, all the brands. She also had a few jugs of Tide laundry soap, but the entire cargo area was stacked floor to ceiling and from front to back with boxes of tissue. I've never seen anything like it. I can vouch that the store was not out of toilet paper, otherwise it might have made sense. Sort of.

I think the key to successful stocking up right now is to try not to attract attention.

 

[brewer12345]

Today while on a stock up run, I saw an old woman just finishing loading full size boxes of tissue into the back of her SUV. Puffs, Kleenex, all the brands. She also had a few jugs of Tide laundry soap, but the entire cargo area was stacked floor to ceiling and from front to back with boxes of tissue. I've never seen anything like it. I can vouch that the store was not out of toilet paper, otherwise it might have made sense. Sort of.

I think the key to successful stocking up right now is to try not to attract attention.

Nobody batted an eye at my purchase of 210 pounds of dog food at Costco on Tuesday. I suppose if you have a couple of giant breed dogs it might not be unusual. Now that the fear is spreading, large purchases might well start to be noticed. I don't have a whole lot more room to store stuff unless I fill the camper, so I will basically just be topping up until I ghost retail stores entirely.

 

[Fermion]

I got most of what I wanted to self isolate for a month or so, but still need to hit up Costco for coffee. Fortunately nobody at Costco bats an eye if you buy ten 3 pound bags.

(I don't really use 30 pounds of coffee in a month but coffee is better than gold in a SHTF world)

 

[brewer12345]

I got most of what I wanted to self isolate for a month or so, but still need to hit up Costco for coffee. Fortunately nobody at Costco bats an eye if you buy ten 3 pound bags.

(I don't really use 30 pounds of coffee in a month but coffee is better than gold in a SHTF world)

Funny you say that. I roast my own and am particular about my coffee. Decided that it would be easier to stay awake and watch out for zombies with coffee, so I ordered an extra box of 20 pounds from Sweet Maria's that should be here by Friday. Also picked up a huge container of instant sick just in case it ever comes to that. Probably could stand to get a few more bottles of good whiskey.

 

[Fermion]

Also picked up a huge container of instant sick just in case it ever comes to that.

If it gets so bad I am drinking instant, I am just going to go lick a walmart shopping cart or something.

 

[brewer12345]

If it gets so bad I am drinking instant, I am just going to go lick a walmart shopping cart or something.

I might not want to have to go into withdrawal at the wrong time.

 

[Bongleur]

When did that happen? There were only 57 cases in the US yesterday and many of those were from the Diamond Princess that were repatriated.

typo, only 456 TESTS RUN.

 

[Car-Guy]

typo, only 456 TESTS RUN.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[GenXguy]

This BBC report isn't good news:

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-51655133

Yike! I had heard people didn't build long term immunity, but I didn't expect such a short term reoccurence.

Also:

CDC confirms the first US coronavirus case of 'unknown' origin.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/27/health/us-cases-coronavirus-community-transmission/index.html

 

[Gumby]

I get it. You're afraid. But could you please knock it off with the large font headlines in every thread. They add nothing.

 

[GenXguy]

I get it. You're afraid. But could you please knock it off with the large font headlines in every thread. They add nothing.

No problem. I corrected my previous post. Originally I had copied/pasted right from the article. Thanks.

 

[Chuckanut]

Maybe it's not quite the time to panic. Maybe the media is thinking about ratings (the sinking ship makes the news) while the experts think something else.

https://reason.com/2020/02/27/coronavirus-is-it-time-to-panic/

Alessandro Vespignani, an infectious disease modeler at Northeastern University, told Science:

This has a range of outcomes from the equivalent of a very bad flu season to something that is perhaps a little bit worse than that.
​

Worldwide, the average death rate for the disease remains unclear, confounded by both uneven reporting and a constantly shifting number of confirmed cases. Death rates may be also be inflated if less severe cases of the virus are going unconfirmed.
"In Italy, roughly 3% of the confirmed number of cases ended in death as of Monday," notes Kenneth Rapoza at Forbes. "But the number of new cases jumped early Tuesday to 270," bringing the death rate down to 2.6 percent.

 

[Car-Guy]

Maybe it's not quite the time to panic. Maybe the media is thinking about ratings (the sinking ship makes the news) while the experts think something else.

https://reason.com/2020/02/27/coronavirus-is-it-time-to-panic/

+1 (however the time may come, just not now.) I was going to bold the "just not now" but decided not to do that....

 

[Rianne]

The following is my opinion

I haven't read the entire thread. When death rate is quoted, I think we need more information. Are those dying older (how old), are their immune systems weakened? I understand children are not getting the disease. Many people have no symptoms but are carriers of the virus.

The danger is when the virus gets into the lungs, like pneumonia. Everyone should cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. And wash hands and do not touch eyes or nose. Same protocol for every virus. Every time they talk about this virus, news etc should emphasize this protocol, every time! If I'm near someone who sneezes or coughs into the air, I stop breathing and move far away before my next breath. Can you imagine what teachers go through during the flu season?